Home Sweet Home
by Fat Puppy
Summary: Season 14. Tag of sorts to "Peace of Mind". Sam needs time to deal with the loss of his band of hunters; Dean tries to help.


**Home Sweet Home**

_**SUMMARY: Supernatural, Season 14. Tag of sorts to "Peace of Mind". Sam needs time to deal with the loss of his band of hunters; Dean tries to help.**_

* * *

"You good?"

The knock on the door had been soft, the words of the same texture. Sam looked up from the book in his lap; the one he wasn't really paying much attention to as evidenced by the fact he'd been on the same page for the last hour. Tired eyes met those of his big brother.

Sam folded the book shut. "No, but I'll manage."

"M'gonna grab some grub, you want?"

Dean prepared himself for the no. Prepared himself to give his little brother the usual lecture of needing to eat. Sam stunned him though with the response.

"Yeah, I think maybe I do."

"Damn! Really?" Shoulders drew back in surprise.

"You don't want me to eat?"

"I was all set to lecture you."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"No, it's just…huh. Never mind. You wanna go out or I'll just bring it home?"

The book now forgotten, it fell from Sam's lap as he pushed himself off the bed.

"Okay," Dean began. "Answers my question. You sure you wanna go? I mean, you wanted time and all and I'm all good with..."

Grabbing his coat off the nearby chair, Sam nodded. "Time to process and deal, yeah. But I can still eat and hang out with my brother, right?"

"Hell yes, you can."

"Good."

"Good."

They moved down the hall toward the library, Dean falling in step with his longer-striding brother. "Soooo…."

"So what?"

"Since you're all about hangin' with big brother tonight…"

"Yes, Dean we can go to Jiffy Burger next town over."

"Yes!" A hand reached up and mussed Sam's hair as the younger brother ducked a second too late. "You know sometimes I do love you, Sammy. Other times, well…"

"Don't push your luck, Dean or we're going to the organic salad place."

"You wouldn't do that to me." He got the _look_ from baby brother and grinned. "Okay, you would. Fine. No more messing with the Barbie hair."

Keys in hand, they turned for the garage.

An hour later, Sam sat staring at his burger as Dean inhaled the two he'd ordered for himself. With a mouth stuffed full of beef, Dean antagonized him.

"Dood. Oo ee oo ee."

"Dean. Seriously? Chew, swallow, then speak. And I know I need to eat. The idea of food seemed good when we left the bunker."

A swallow and swig of soda later, Dean responded. "It still is a good idea. Don't make me break out the eating lecture now, Sam. Come on. These burgers are ridiculous. Take a bite and I swear you'll eat the entire thing in about three."

"No, I'm a normal person, who eats in normal-sized bites."

"Dude," Dean snatched a fry from Sam's plate, "You are so far from normal, let's not even go there." When Sam didn't fight back, Dean went softly again. "You wanted time and I'm okay with that. I am. It's a good thing. But this is me and you, Sammy. No bunker. No hunting. No angels. No end of the world. Just you and me out for a quiet evening at an awesome burger joint. Just me and you. Okay?"

Sam tasted the burger. Dean smirked watching the reaction once the juicy, fatty, delicious sandwich hit his brother's taste buds. "Yeah? Yeah? What'd I tell ya?"

"Umhmmm. Yeah, s'good."

"Best ever?"

"Well..."

"Yup, best ever. Now, polish it off. Three bites, ready?"

"Dean."

"Okay, okay. Take then eighteen dainty _normal-person_ bites. Whatever."

The burger eventually gone as Dean continued to help himself to the extra fries. Sam sat back, seemingly satisfied, but thoughtful. There was an idea brewing and Dean had an inkling of what it was. Enough of an inkling that when Sam began "Hey, Dean…" Dean cut him off and finished the thought.

"Hotel tonight?"

Eyebrows raised as Sam's thought came from his brother's lips.

"Yeah, um, how…"

"As well as you know me, Sammy, I know you. You said you can't stand the bunker right now. I get it. I do. But it's our home too. And, well, it's a place that you really don't want to be right now. There's no rule that have to be on a hunt to grab a hotel stop somewhere. We can even splurge and not go to a crappy one. If that helps you work through this, then I'm cool with it."

A huge wave of relief lifted from Sam's heart and head with Dean's words. Just a night away would help. A night out of the bunker with no worry of hunting or dying or seeing Maggie's pained and horrified face as Michael sucked the life from her body.

One night, it wasn't a fix, but perhaps it would allow a decent night of sleep.

"Nightmares have been pretty nasty, I know and don't look at me like that, man. I hear you down the hall screaming in the middle of the night. I've called Cas and Jack away from your door more than a few times. They wanted to wake you up, break you out of it and in the process get a knife full of fury when you launched at them without knowing who it was."

"Sorry," Sam dropped his gaze a bit.

"Nope. Not doin' that. How many times have we've had to deal with this crap, huh? I know the routine. You know it. We just have to work through however we can. So, for you, a night away from the bunker is gonna be good. And I know you've already got a place in mind, right?"

"Well," Sam's eyes and a half smile met his brother's again.

"Uh huh. Sure you do. Okay, well then, lets pay this thing and head out. You want a milkshake to go? M'gonna get a milkshake."

"Nah, m'good."

"Sure? I can see if they have kale flavored."

"Dean."

"You do love yourself some kale, Sammy, don't deny it."

"Just get your shake and I'll meet you in the car."

Minutes later Dean tapped at the passenger side window on the Impala. "Open up." He held two large styrofoam cups in his hands as the window came down.

"Dude, I told you I didn't want one."

"Tough, I got you one. Here, take it."

The car rocked slightly as Dean took his place in the driver's seat and stuffed the straw in his mouth.

Sam sniffed the lid. "You didn't actually get me a kale-flavored milkshake, did you?"

"First of all, let me puke. Second, do you _really_ think they have milkshakes made with kale or any other type of offensive green weed? Just taste it. Good stuff, man."

A long pull on his straw and Sam smiled big. "Oreo."

"Not only Oreo, little brother, but Birthday Cake Oreo. You know how addicted you are to those tiny little orbs of cream filled goodness."

"Yeah, we can't buy 'em anymore. It's my one food weakness."

"Strange, but true." Dean raised his own chocolate-peanut butter shake to Sam's cup. "Here's to our we-time, a nightmare-free sleep, some damn good food, and a damned good little brother."

Sam returned the toast. "And a damned good big brother. Thanks, Dean."

The overnight at the hotel wasn't torment free, but the dreams were less intense. The morning brought a rested if still tired younger Winchester sibling having appreciated the night away from the nightmare images of the bunker.

Dean poked his head out of the bathroom after a shower, seeing Sam sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey, we can stay another night if you want. The bunker's not going anywhere." He disappeared back into the bathroom while Sam thought on it. Another day…another night would be good...but he couldn't keep running. Running...hiding...didn't make things better, it only delayed the reality.

"Sammy?" Dean shouted from the bathroom, looking for an answer. When none came, he popped back out, tossing on a tee shirt and leaning on the door frame. "Sam? We can stay. It's okay if you want to stay."

Part of Sam pulled with all it's might to say yes; to stay that extra time; to put off dealing with the loss and the pain. The other part of him was grounded in the reality of if all. The reality of their lives.

He looked at his brother from across the room. The only one who really understood the complexity of emotional confusion and anger and hurt that was rumbling around in his head and in his heart.

"It's okay, Sam."

"Yeah, it's okay, Dean. I think…I think we should go home. I still need time, but I also need to accept it all. At home."

By now, Dean had walked to sit across from his brother and offered a soft pat to his knee. "Whatever time you need."

"Thanks, Dean."

"Let's go home then."

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "Let's go home."

"Yeah. Come on." Another pat to the knee and Dean was up shoveling his few belongings into the backpack. "Car in five?" He asked.

Sam got up and grabbed his own bag. "I'm packed. Never unpacked."

"Let's roll."

Settled into the Impala, Dean started the engine. "Home sweet home."

Sam immediately knew his brother wasn't referring to the bunker and he patted the dashboard of the old metal machine that truly had been their home for more than half their lifetime.

"Home sweet home. How 'bout we take a drive before we head back to the bunker?"

An almost child-like smile of joy took over Dean's face at the mention of taking a drive. His favorite thing in the world, riding the road with his Baby and his little brother at his side.

"Okay then. Road trip, Sammy?"

"Road trip, Dean."

Dean smacked the Impala's steering wheel in delight. "You heard him, Baby. We're taking the long way home. Hold on, Sammy. She's been dying to be let loose."

Engine muscled, throttle pushed, tires squealing. The brothers roared away from the hotel in a small cloud of smoke exhaust.

Heading for home, but already there.

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The End


End file.
